Problems and Solutions in Beauty Packaging

Posted: July 26, 2013

Virginia Lee, senior research analyst at Euromonitor International, attended the 2013 HBA Global Expo event, scouting trends and topics that are hot for the beauty industry. In a video on the Euromonitor site, Lee discusses her findings from the show, focusing on the pains of poorly designed cosmetics packaging and the steps beauty manufacturers are taking to redesign products for on-the-go women.

She says in the video, “When I attended HBA Global Expo in June, I heard a lot from beauty enthusiasts. Allure magazine hosted a consumer beauty panel, and they had a lot to talk about—what they like and dislike about beauty.

“The packaging was one of their gripes. One person said, ‘I stay away from packaging that gets dirty.‘ She was talking about the Nars black rubber compacts, which can get dirty, and there have even been blog posts that have talked about how to clean those compacts, which is funny.

“At the same time, companies are definitely making improvements. In one case, one woman said, ‘I love Bare Escentuals, but I’d spill. Now they have better compacts.’ The company now offers loose powder mineral foundation, as well as a solid mineral format. These companies are realizing that today’s beauty consumers, they’re on the go, [and] they want products that work—ot just on their face, but that [also] won’t crush [or] spill in their handbags.

“And for Origins Never a Dull Moment Scrub, one women said, ‘The product would shatter in half [and] I would scramble to put plastic wrap around it,’ which is ridiculous, but now it comes in a tube. And for toners, one woman said, ‘I love Pangea Organics toner. It has a spray [so] you’re not wasting 17 cotton pads,’” Lee concludes.

Clearly, this marks the continuing opportunity for beauty brands to make the most out of their packaging, as well as how it relates their products to consumers.